The Continuation
by Gordissima
Summary: After war, life continues. Now Harry, rising star in the Auror Office, is having to cope with a heavily pregnant and bored Ginny whilst Ron's struggle with Hermione has only just begun.
1. Big News

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they are the wonderful work of J.K. Rowling

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, pulling her bushy hair back into a loose ponytail. She felt nauseous and had bags under her worried eyes. Were they ready for this? Even if they weren't, she had to tell him and she had to do it now.

Heading downstairs to the sitting room, Hermione was surprised to hear voices. She tensed briefly before recognising Harry's familiar voice raised in discussion, "Why would he even follow such a slow dive though? It was an obvious attempt at distraction."

"Yeah, but Wallace was best off doing that as otherwise he would be at a disadvantage because – oh, hi Hermione!" Ron gave her an easy smile and look of gentle concern, "We didn't wake you up did we?"

"No, I didn't hear you come in. Was the match good then?"

"Yeah, the Harpies are missing Ginny though. Are you alright?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Hermione cross the room to her favourite squashy armchair and sat down stiffly.

"Erm, I have something to tell you both though." Harry would have been told the next time she saw him anyway. Ron leaned forward, looking anxious.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence reverberated around the room. Ron's mouth fell open, he tried to say something but the words stuck and he was left spluttering. Harry laughed and clapped his friend on the back. Turning back to Hermione, he beamed. "That's fantastic news! Congratulations. Ginny'll be thrilled, not to mention everyone else!"

Ron stopped coughing and managed to get the words out, "How long?"

"Four weeks according to the test." Hermione gazed at Ron with a mixture of hope and worry. He moved quickly over to her and kissed her. "You'll be a great mum Hermione, really brilliant."

A few hours later, Harry (under oath not to say a word to anyone) headed home with slightly less trepidation than usual for the welcome he would receive from his restless, bored and heavily pregnant wife. Ginny had tired of maternity leave after just two days. On the third day she set a booby trap for her unsuspecting husband. Harry had had a particularly hard day at the Auror office, trying to follow leads for dark objects and had been looking forward to a relaxing evening when a siren had sounded as he crossed the threshold to his house. The resulting yelp and jump of what Ginny later estimated as twelve feet into the air was followed by Harry drawing his wand and blasting a hole in the staircase. It was only Ginny's laughter that let him know something wasn't wrong. The argument lasted for roughly an hour and had ended with Harry saying if she was going to set booby traps could she try ones that didn't make him think they were under attack. No matter how bad this was, Harry was pretty certain that a pregnant Hermione would be worse for Ron.

Approaching the door, he drew his wand. He stood to the right of the door and pushed it open, when nothing happened, he entered the hallway and crept along. Reaching the kitchen door, Harry took a breath and the leapt in, "HA! Oh, erm, hi Mrs. Weasley, I didn't realise you were here today." He felt himself go red and could see Ginny nearly dying trying not to laugh behind her mum.

"Hello Harry dear. Arthur and George are in the dining room." She could clearly see his urge to escape the kitchen.

"Yes, thank you, I better go and do that." He left the room hurriedly, his head hanging in embarrassment. As he walked across the living room, there was a whistling noise to the left. He turned to look and a pie hit him full in the face. Wiping cream from his eyes, he promised himself to never let Ginny watch muggle comedy shows ever again.

The dining table was full of papers and maps. Arthur and George were discussing one particular map quite intensely but stopped when Harry came in. George laughed uproariously and Arthur had a sympathetic smile and a handkerchief ready.

"Thanks," said Harry, removing the remaining cream from his ear.

"I can see the newspaper now: Harry Potter, saviour of wizard-kind and leading Auror, out-smarted by heavily pregnant wife." George said, as his laughter subsided to a mischievious grin, much like his little sister's.

"Not their catchiest headline, I have to say," Harry replied. "Have we got any further with finding Diggle?"

The former members of the Order had been working hard to track down all missing persons after the war. This had been a tough job but they were down to the last few names - Dedalus Diggle, Frank Westenburg and Barnabus Lyne.

"Yes," said Arthur, "Percy sent a letter from Dartmoor, he and Audrey definitely think there is something hidden there. He doesn't want to do anything though as he's a bit unsure with the dark magic."

Harry frowned in thought. "I think I can get down there tomorrow. I'm meeting with Kingsley in the morning, he'll understand and Sampson will be able to cope without me for an afternoon."

Sampson was the head of the auror office. He was an old Auror who had come out of retirement for Kingsley to help run the Auror office which was in great need of an overhaul. The three began discussing what sort of spells they might have to overcome when Molly called through from the kitchen that dinner was ready. Harry gave a groan of apprehension and hoped that the presence of family would be enough to prevent Ginny spiking the dinner. George heard him and grinned again, "I don't think mum made pie, Ginny goes through them at a surprising rate."


	2. A Little Mayhem

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they are the work and property of the wonderful J.K. Rowling.

"Ron! I may be pregnant but I'm not incapable of getting to my desk." Hermione was half exasperated and half amused by her husband's insistence that he should escort her to the office. She'd already agreed to use Floo instead of apparate as usual. Ron pulled a face and was about to say something when Hermione cut across him, "Don't you have a meeting with Kingsley and Harry in five minutes anyway?"

"Damn. Right, send me a memo when you get to the office, okay? I'll see you at lunch." He gave her a brief embrace and quick kiss before running off up the corridor, robes billowing behind him. Hermione laughed fondly and then got into the lift. Ron's reaction to her news was more than she could have hoped for. She had been a little scared that Ron wasn't ready to raise a child. Not that she didn't love him but he was far too adept at pretend sword fights with Teddy. And Harry for that matter. She got out of the lift at the fourth floor and walked as briskly as she could over to her desk, greeting people as she passed. Once sat down, she pulled a memo forward and wrote the note to Ron and then wrote a brief letter to Ginny, asking if they were still meeting up tonight. That done, she turned to the pile of letters in her inbox and set to work.

Ron arrived at Kingsly's office just as Harry walked up from the opposite end of the corridor. He looked at Ron bemusedly. "Not a dragon after you is there?"

Ron staggered to a stop and panted for breath. "Didn't... Want... To be... Late." He gasped and slumped against the wall.

"Did Hermione make you escort her to her office?" Hermione was obviously being affected by pregnancy quicker than he'd have thought.

"No. I was going to but then she reminded me about the meeting so she's sending me a memo."

Harry looked carefully a t Ron. "You've volunteered to escort her everywhere?"

"Yes," said Ron, slightly defensively. "Why?"

"Nothing, just I'll wish you good luck now," said Harry with a smirk and he knocked and entered the minister's office.

The meeting was long and concerned some complicated plans for restructuring the Auror department. It was eleven o'clock before Harry could even broach the subject of the search for Diggle. At the mention of it, both Kingsley and Ron, who had been quite light hearted (in Ron's case, after the arrival of a small memo) became very serious.

"Percy definitely thinks someone is there, and we've tracked some of his relatives to having connections in that area. Mr. Weasley thinks it's definitely worth a shot and I'd like to have a look this afternoon. If it's possible of course."

Kingsley frowned, "Is Percy certain it's dark magic he can't handle?"

"Don't make him do anything he's not sure off." Ron piped up. He'd gone a little red in the face. "It'd be better if Harry and myself go to check it out."

Kingsly gave a small inclination of his head towards Ron and said, after a moments thought, "Yes, but you better both finish tracking that amulet down first. Sampson was already moaning about you two being here all morning."

Hermione had spent the morning trying to work in between being sick. She eventually conceded defeat and returned home, leaving a note for Ron and telling him not to worry. After a few hours sleep and general rest she decided she was well enough to visit Ginny. It was quarter to five, it'd be all right if she was a little early. Trying not to think what Ron would say if he saw her apparating, she spun on the spot and into nothingness.

The dizziness she felt once at Harry's village, Boggle's Feld, told her that apparition was not a good idea and it was only with an enormous effort that Hermione wasn't sick again. A little wobbly, Hermione walked to Harry's house and rang the doorbell. There were some odd noises from inside and then Ginny's face appeared at the downstairs window. Seeing Hermione there, Ginny waved and mouthed, "One moment," before disappearing from sight. A series of loud bangs came from the hall before the door was opened.

"Hi Hermione. Sorry about that, I had to disarm the trip jinx and the motion sensor to set off a bat bogey hex. Come on in." Ginny stood aside smiling to let Hermione, who was a little nervous now, in. Once nothing had exploded and they were safely in the sitting room, Hermione relaxed and waited until Ginny had reset the jinx and sensor to start their much needed catch up. It didn't take long for the conversation to turn to pregnancy.

"It's so boring and every now and then I get this little kick and squirmy feeling and it makes it worth it." Ginny paused in thought. "That and booby trapping the house for Harry." This last part was said with a wicked grin.

Hermione did not approve of such regular pranks but rather than have the argument she asked another question, "Did you feel very sick at the beginning?"

"Yes. Hermione, why are you acting like a journalist?" Ginny's eyes narrowed as she eyed her friend.

"Well..." Hermione squirmed in her seat and went pink. Ginny gave a loud shriek of pleasure. This was followed by the sound of the front door being slammed open and two loud yells and thuds, which sounded suspiciously like two people falling over.

"_Finite incantatem!_" There was a scrabbling noise and Harry burst into the room, closely followed by Ron, both with their wands raised. Ginny couldn't stop laughing for about ten minutes and wasn't helped by her brother's anxious questioning of his wife. The story of why Ginny had screamed came out and it was agreed that the whole event was quite funny though Ginny was made to promise once again not to make Harry think they were under attack.

"We've only come to tell you that we'll be away for a couple of days on Order and Auror stuff. We think we've found someone." Harry explained when asked about his earlier than normal arrival home.

"We were meant to go this afternoon but this damn amulet that 'Dung tipped us off about seems to lead to the same place." Ron added, "Why it couldn't be a simple case of one of 'Dung's traders being a bit shifty I don't know."

Harry nodded in furtive agreement. "We'll be back soon anyway. Try not to kill someone while I'm away will you?" He said, addressing Ginny directly.

"I'm offended to hear you say such a thing. I'll probably just have George around."

Harry, realising the implications of this statement, resigned himself to having to be at his most alert when he came back.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter for encouraging me to continue. An especially big thanks to simplypurple207 for the review.


	3. Hard Day's Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they are the work of the wonderful J.K. Rowling

A weak sun tried to break though the thick fog which covered Dartmoor. The air was cold and the fog clung to anything in its presence. Out of the fog loomed a large tor, atop of which was the menacing ruin of Grimspound. Rumours of enormous hounds haunting the area had even made it into muggle legend and most wizards gave it a very wide berth. For even if many discarded it as superstition, there was a reason the name had been given. This though, was not what was bothering Ron. "I. Hate. Midges." Each word was punctuated with a hit on the arm. "I mean, what do they eat when they can't get wizard?"

Harry laughed and cast what must have been the fiftieth impervious charm over Ron, who was much more susceptible than himself. For three days they had been travelling over the moor and they were starting to tire. They couldn't apparate across the moor, in case they missed something. The information on Mundungus' amulet was vague to say the least but as they approached the tor, both felt the atmosphere change. It was as if the fog had moved closer around them, was seeping into them. A sudden gust of a January wind scattered the fog and, for a moment, Grimspound became clear. Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and, wands at the ready, advanced towards the ruin. This was the place. Both could feel the dark magic spreading into the area. Even the midges seemed to avoid it.

Shadows seemed to be coming from odd places. The ruins, which were little more than foundation stones, seemed to be changing height constantly. At the very centre of the small village was a large, roughly square stone which shimmered slightly in the light. Thinking of all the instruction Kingsley and Sampson had given in this kind of magic, both raised their wands and began using every counter curse and jinx they knew. After ten minutes of heavy spell work, a crack began to show. BANG! The stone split completely open to reveal a thin, gold chain wrapped tight around a small, perfectly preserved, old man in a velvet suit. Inspecting as closely as possible without touching, Harry saw the very end of the chain twitch slightly.

"Hmm. How do you think we get it off him?" He asked Ron, who was putting the protective enchantments back around them. Ron came to have a look, gave a deep sigh and said, "Dunno. Touch it? That'd put us into trouble though."

They were silent in thought for a minute, Ron absent mindedly swatting away midges.

"You don't have Extendable Ears in that bag do you?" Harry asked, struck with sudden inspiration.

"Yes, but if it was going to talk we'd probably here it from here." Replied Ron, completely nonplussed.

"Not to listen down. They're flesh like aren't they, we could trick the chain into releasing him."

"Oh, clever." Ron started rummaging around in his bag and drew out a battered box. He took the the flesh like string and dropped it down towards the gently twitching end of the gold chain. The two touched and the string pulled taught. The chain began to curl up, gently releasing the man trapped. Ron let go of the end of the extendable ear at the last possible moment. It looked like a rope of gold and flesh. Harry reach down and lifted out the small man. As he did so he noticed that his right hand was clenched tight around the other end of the gold chain. Lying the man on the ground, Harry gently prised apart the fist to reveal a black pendant in the shape of a dog.

"Is that really Diggle?" Ron asked, "He doesn't look quite right."

Harry nodded. "It's definitely Diggle. Right, first we check if he's alive and then work out how to move that thing." It didn't take long though for it to be made clear that Diggle was no longer with them. It wasn't unexpected but it was still hard to accept. Harry had to take a deep breath before he could continue. Ron looked ashen faced.

"Maybe we can levitate it out of his hand and then destroy it." Harry suggested.

"Might as well try it." Ron shrugged. To their surprise, the pendant didn't put up any resistance. Destroying it wasn't to hard either, the curses surrounding it had been broken with the stone. It was a hollow success. They wrapped the shards in a scarf for the Department of Mysteries to experiment on and then, each taking one of Diggle's stiff arms, they disapparated to the Ministry.

There was no rest. Harry and Ron had to write up reports for Sampson and Kingsley. It fell to Harry to write to Diggle's cousin with the news and to write a press release. Ron had had to go and meet with Unspeakables and present the remains of the amulet. He had then been despatched to the Magical Law Enforcement Department so as to make enquires into whether or not Mungdugus' contact could be arrested for questioning. As a result it was a very weary Harry who walked up his garden path to the door. All the same, he drew his wand and prepared to play the game.

Gently pushing open the door, he checked for any trip jinxes. Nothing. He crept into the hall, keeping pressed against the wall. Still nothing. The house was silent. Getting slightly unnerved by the lack of anything happening, Harry cautiously entered the kitchen. Again, nothing happened. He turned to enter the sitting room and then, his house exploded. Fireworks went in every direction. "_Reducto!_" Harry yelled to clear the way but instead they multiplied. One of the fireworks must have hit something else because at that moment something grabbed his feet and caused him to fall onto his back. "Ginny! You win Ginny!" He shouted so that she could hear over the noise of the explosions. "I know, no need to shout." The reply came from right next to him. Turning his head he saw Ginny lying on the floor next to him, smiling. "I thought you deserved a treat. It looks really good from here."

Harry had to admit the fireworks did look good from below. He leant over and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Thanks Gin." He put his arm around her and they lay snuggled together on the floor. "How long do this batch of Whizbangs last?" Harry asked.

"About another hour."Ginny answered, looking up into his bright green eyes. "Why, have you got something in mind?"

He gave a small smile and kissed her again. "I might have."

A/N: I thought I'd give Harry a nice end to his day. Thanks to everyone who's reading, particularly Fandango, simplypurple207 and GinnyPotter1700 for your very kind reviews.


	4. Old Friend's New News

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they are the work of the wonderful work of the brilliant J.K. Rowling.

"Harry! There's a letter from Neville for you!" Ginny had always been an early riser but had taken to getting up at around six the last few weeks. This was fine as far as Harry was concerned because it meant he always had cooked breakfast – Ginny was nearly as good a cook as her mum. He walked into the kitchen in scruffy pyjamas, hair messier than usual. "Good, it might be news about the Herbology position." Neville had finally been convinced to apply for the position and had promised to keep them all up-to-date. Harry slit open the letter and took a sip of coffee. He then proceeded to spurt the coffee all over the letter and kitchen.

"Merlin, Harry! What on earth is it? He hasn't got the Potions position instead has he?" Ginny gave a small laugh at her joke.

"No." Harry said a little hoarsely. "Neville's getting married."

Ginny gave a little yell of delight. "Oh, that's fantastic! He and Hannah are perfect together. Oh, I've got to write to him straight away." With that, she waddled out of the kitchen as fast as possible.

Harry sat down to his breakfast and re-read the letter through the coffee stains. This week was going to be very interesting. He and Ron had been given a day off but were back to work and it was going to be hard. Field work was good but it always resulted in more paper work than either Harry or Ron considered necessary. They had raised the issue with Hermione, who was working in the Review and Reform sub-section of Magical Law but she hadn't been at all sympathetic. Ron had then discovered Hermione had actually added to the number of forms which lead to a stony silence of about a week between the two. Besides all the paper work though, there was a meeting of the remaining Order members, a memorial service for Diggle, Teddy was staying with them for a couple of days and now... Well now, there was definitely a trip to the pub on the cards.

Ron carefully prepared breakfast and placed it on a tray and carried it ever so carefully upstairs. It would have been a lot easier to navigate the sitting room if he'd tidied up first, but he couldn't do everything. He woke Hermione up with a gentle kiss. "Morning. How are you feeling today?"

"Morning. I'm okay, thanks. You?" She stretched and then spotted the breakfast tray by the bed. "Oh Ron, that's lovely! I would have got pregnant sooner if I'd known this would happen." Hermione joked while pulling the toast, bacon and eggs towards her.

Five minutes later, Ron was cleaning the sick from the bedroom floor while Hermione cleaned herself up in bathroom. "I'm so sorry." She called through.

"It's all right. I just won't make eggs from now on. Or bacon. It's not your fault."

"I still appreciate it though. It was really kind. And I liked the toast." She appeared in the door way, looking a bit peaky. "Come on, we better get ready for work."

Ron was already dressed and so headed downstairs just in time to receive the post. He needed a very strong cup of tea after reading Neville's letter.

The Order met in the kitchen of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. An Order meeting wouldn't have been right anywhere else. There was the added bonus of the house having been throughly cleaned and a permanent Silencing Charm placed on Mrs. Black's portrait. Harry liked the meetings that were often months apart. Although they were officially Order meetings, any former members of Dumbledore's Army were welcome and kept abreast of any new information. It meant seeing all his old friends, sharing stories of life now and old jokes from back then. It hadn't always been so much fun. The first meetings had been quiet. Being together after a year on the run, it had hit home how many they had lost but now these meetings were usually happy. Harry arrived early in the evening with Ginny as usual so as to open the house. Another good thing about these meetings was that Ginny was with him and so couldn't booby trap the house. After about ten minutes, the kitchen was filled with noise and chatter. When Neville walked in there were whoops and cheers from the assembled crowd, and he blushed a deep red. Eventually though, people settled and Arthur started with the news of Diggle.

"He had been trapped by a dark object which has now been identified as having once belonged to Rabastan Lestrange. Rabastan was killed at the Battle and so that is, sadly, as far as we can take it." Arthur's speech drew to a close. There was muttering around the kitchen, many looked disgruntled and Hestia Jones looked quite upset. Arthur, after a glance at Kingsley, carried on.

"We have been able to uncover some more information about Frank Westinburg however."

Harry felt the atmosphere change subtly. Ginny gave him a poke in the ribs and whispered, "You didn't tell me that you'd found another lead!"

"I haven't." Harry murmured back. This news had taken him completely by surprise. He looked over to where Ron sat behind Hermione, looking equally confused.

"It's Sturgis who found the information, so he's going to fill you all in." Arthur went and sat by Molly and George to listen.

Sturgis was not one of those at the fore front for the search for missing members. That was the job that Harry and Ron had. They were helped by Neville for a time but he'd left the Auror department after Death Eaters had been rounded up to go and study Herbology further.

"Richard Westinburg was an old friend of mine. I was visiting a mutual friend and he told me that Richard's son Frank had been spotted in a small town called Stalybridge. I investigated and found that there was someone who looked exactly like Frank but under another name there. It's not much to go on but it is a least a lead." Sturgis said all this quite hesitantly, not used to having so much attention focused on him. "The question is, should we follow it?"

There was a murmur of agreement from everyone. Harry rolled his eyes at Ron. Obviously work wasn't about to get any easier.

Plans and details were discussed (Harry having to put his foot down at an idea for prolonged undercover work) and finally, at half-past nine, the meeting finished and people began saying goodbyes.

"I hope this lead is good." Hermione said, as she and Ron waited for their turn to Floo. "Then you'll only have one more person to find and it can finally all be done and finished."

Ron made a non-committal noise in his throat. He wasn't quite sure about how he felt about everything finishing. He had Hermione, a baby on the way, and some of the greatest friends and family in the world but his life had been dominated by this fight to get the world to how it should be. What would he do afterwards? Ron looked at where Harry was chatting with Dean, Seamus and Neville. Harry had taken to being an Auror so easily but he didn't fit it so easily when they weren't rounding up Death Eaters or searching for missing people. He had no idea what would happen.

"Ron, drinks at the _Leaky_ on Saturday, you up for it?" Dean called over, breaking his reverie.

Ron grinned, "Commiserating with Neville, are we? Wouldn't miss it."

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading and a big thanks to CayleeWeasley in particular for some great feedback and ideas. Sorry for no pranks this chapter but I had to set up quite a bit of story.


	5. Telling Tales

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they are the wonderful work of the wonderful J.K. Rowling

Teddy Lupin sat cross legged on the floor in front of his Godfather. One eye was bright green, the other dark brown and his hair was a very dark, curly red. He was currently asking some very awkward questions, having got tired of pretend sword fights and chasing a snitch around the house.

"Harry, is Ginny going to pop?" Teddy asked, eyes wide with innocence. Behind him, Harry heard Ginny give a snort of laughter. _She just might_, Harry thought before answering.

"No. Ginny's going to become a mummy and get a baby. She has to get bigger so that people know and act extra nicely to her." Harry wasn't going anywhere near child birth with Teddy – he didn't know if he could cope with those questions.

"Oh. Is Ginny extra nice to people as well?" Teddy thought that only this would be fair. The question, however, caused extra nice Ginny to give another snort of laughter. Harry had a painful recollection of sneaking into his own house last night and of almost getting through unscathed having disarmed several jinxs only to be hit by a Bat-Bogey hex and forced backward into a portable swamp. It had taken a very long shower to feel clean again.

"Ginny has a way of being nice to people. Now," Harry added, forestalling any other questions, "Isn't it time for bed?"

Teddy scowled in the way that only a seven year old can manage. "But I want to ask more!"

Harry sighed. Andromeda had given a strict bedtime of seven o'clock and it was now quarter to. However, he would be strict enough with his own child and Teddy did love asking questions. "Go on then, one more."

Teddy beamed while Ginny, who was having an early night, frowned. "Don't keep him up too late Harry. Night night Teddy." She gave the small boy a big hug and kiss. "Night darling." She said as Harry stood and gave her a hug and kiss himself.

"Can we do asking now?" Teddy demanded.

Harry smiled and sat down again. "Okay, two more questions only though."

Teddy thought for a moment. "Does Ginny give the baby away when she becomes a mummy?"

Harry's smile faltered slightly and he felt a shiver. He hadn't expected this direction. "No. When Ginny becomes a mummy, I become a daddy and we look after the baby. Like Granny looks after you."

Teddy frowned. "Why did my mummy and daddy go?"

Harry took a deep breath. "You're mummy and daddy were very brave, very good people. They didn't want to go, they wanted to stay with you but nasty people took them away from everyone. They loved you so much, Teddy." He hoped this would do for now but Teddy had another question.

"Are you like my daddy?"

Harry blinked a bit and decided to answer while putting him to bed. "I love you as much as if I was your daddy, but you keep calling me Harry." Harry scooped Teddy up and swung him over his shoulder, heading upstairs. "I'll tell you a story about your daddy though. Once upon a time, there was a group of four friends..."

Hermione and Ron had finally decided to tell the soon to be Grandparents. They had arranged to meet the Grangers first as Hermione argued that, as muggles, they would be less involved with their grandchild later on and she wanted them to know first. It had been a lovely evening with Mrs. Granger cooking a lovely roast chicken for dinner. The conversation had come to a gentle lull and Hermione, after a nervous glance at Ron, took her moment.

"Mum, Dad, we wanted to come tonight for a special reason."

Mr. Granger stopped pouring out another class of wine and looked at his daughter with a piercingly. Ron fidgeted in his seat.

"Well, the thing is, well, I'm, I'm pregnant." Hermione said, gripping tightly on to Ron's hand.

"Oh darling! That's wonderful!" Mr. and Mrs. Granger were over the moon. Mr. Granger shook Ron's hand and clapped him in the back while Mrs. Granger, after embracing her daughter fondly, ran downstairs to the cellar to get a bottle of Champagne.

A few hours later after celebrations, which included inviting around the neighbours to join in, Ron and Hermione finally headed home. Once there, they collapsed onto their bed.

"Now we've just got to do it all again with Weasleys." Ron said, with a large yawn. Hermione nodded and leaned her head on Ron's shoulder, snuggling in. He kissed the top of her head softly, "I'm looking forward to it." He whispered as they drifted off to sleep.

Kingsley looked down at the list of checks they needed to do before he could send Harry and Ron out on more field work. This Westinburg case was going to be tricky – the area was pretty much completely muggle. Sampson was already complaining about Harry in particular not being as involved in training the younger Aurors. He considered sending someone to track Westinburg for a bit but, and he smiled at the memory of the last meeting, neither would agree to that. Finally, Kingsley decided the mission would have to wait until next Wednesday. Thursday was never a good time to start something new. It also gave the boys a chance to celebrate Neville's engagement properly, which is something that should be done in style.

Nine o'clock on Saturday found five fairly drunk wizards sat in _The Leaky Cauldron_, laughing uproariously.

"And then." Gasped Dean, "Then I found a list on her desk of things to do which included, would you believe, 'get some of Ginny Potter's hair for polyjuice'. I had to end it after that." He had just been regaling them all with his short but disastrous relationship with Romilda Vane (now gossip columnist of _Witch Weekly_) .

There was a look of dawning realisation on Harry's face. "That's why Ginny started wearing hats everywhere!"

This revelation caused a fresh round of laughter and Seamus nearly fell of his stool, having to cling onto Neville for support. Neville regained the power of speech to say, "This is why you shouldn't get stupidly drunk at work parties." He was booed down by the others though. Seamus coming back with, "But then you wouldn't get to laugh about it now! Don't you remember at Harry's twenty-first, when he tried to fly a traffic cone?" 

Neville nodded, laughing again, while Harry tried to defend himself, "I had loads to drink and hadn't eaten a lot all day!"

"Three fire whiskeys and a pumpkin vodka shot is not loads" Ron put in, causing Dean to nearly spray his drink across the bar and choke noisily.

"Next round Neville!" Seamus roared, rising his empty tankard. The call was echoed by the other three and Neville got unsteadily to his feet and went to the bar.

"One. Two. Three!" Five shots went up, five glasses came down and Harry fell onto the floor, laughing to himself. Joseph the barman, bleary eyed as people tend to be at two in the morning, came over and took the glasses away. "Sorry lads, I'm shutting up, the guests will be complaining." There were boos and moans from all of them (apart from Harry, who was still lying on the floor) but they got up and left all the same. Ron supporting Harry while Neville was held up between Seamus and Dean.

"See you again Won-Won, Chosen One." They yelled as the two lads turned around the corner and disapparated home.

A/N: Bit of a funny one, hope you enjoy.


	6. Things Happen Fast

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any characters, they are the fantastic creation of J.K. Rowling.

The hall was in silence apart from the scratch of quills upon parchment. It was the first day Harry had been happy to look over Auror entrance exams as it meant Sampson wasn't able to ask him about training. He scribbled down a note about possible ways to get Westinburg and then went to look at trial notes. Feeling someone's eyes on him, Harry looked up quickly to see a girl turn her head downwards quickly. He rolled his eyes and got back to looking through the trial notes. They were getting fewer in number but there were always some people applying to be Aurors who seemed to be there for the wrong reason. For the first couple of years it had been like extended versions of his first Quidditch try-outs as Captain. Mentally shaking himself to stop thinking about Quidditch, Harry turned back to the notes again. They were for the trial of Fenrir Greyback which was under review since changes in werewolf legislation. Now they had to prove that what he had done was due to his own decision making rather than his condition. Harry stared at the page.

_The charged knowingly attacked victims, unprovoked, while not under the influence of a full moon. Two instances are the cases of Mr. William Weasley (1a) and Miss. Lavender Brown (1b). _

It was mind numbing to read again and again of the crimes that Greyback had committed. Harry glanced at his watch – there was still another hour and a half to go. Settling himself down for boredom, Harry jumped at the loud knock on the door behind him. By the sound of ink splatter and muffled swearing, so had the candidates. Standing and looking around, Harry saw Tom Cunnah (a second year trainee) enter with a scrappy piece of parchment.

"Excuse me sir, but it's a message from Mr. Weasley." He held out the note. "I was also told by Mr. Sampson to cover for you if you need me too."

Harry took the note, confused.

_Gone to St. Mungo's with Hermione. She collapsed at work. Will be staying as long as, don't worry Gin._

Pale, Harry sat down again. "When did it happen, Tom?" He was shaking slightly as he began gathering up papers.

"A minute ago, a memo came down from her office. Mr. Weasley wrote this before leaving, he didn't leave any other instructions. Do you want me to cover the rest of the exam for you?" Tom looked very concerned at his senior's reaction.

"Yes, thanks Tom, that'd be great. I'll go and see Sampson now and leave something for later. 'Bye." Harry nearly ran for the door. The candidates all looked up, not many had been successful in continuing to write while the conversation had been whispered on the raised platform. Tom gave them a sharp look. "An incomplete paper is an automatic fail you know."

Harry charged down the corridor in St. Mungo's, looking desperately for the right room. He was so focused on room numbers that he ran straight into the very person he was looking for.

"Oof! Harry!"

"Ron! How's Hermione? What's happened?" Harry gasped, having winded himself on Ron's arm.

"She's okay they think. Just exhausted." Ron grimaced at the thought of his wife collapsing being 'just' anything.

"Can I see her or are they not allowing visitors? How's the baby?"

"They're not allowing anyone in as she needs rest and they're going to check the baby tomorrow. She fell on her front." Ron finished in a flat, quiet voice. Harry looked at him. "Oh."

"Yeah." The two friends sat down in silent worry, completely unsure what to do.

At nine o'clock, Harry pushed open his front door, aching with tiredness. The lights were on in the hall and he could see a crack of light from under the living room door. Ginny must have waited up for him. He pushed open the door and stopped dead at the sight that greeted him. At fifteen, Harry had been unable to cope with a crying girl. Now a successful Auror, married and expecting a child, he still didn't know what to do. Waves of uncertainty swept over him. "Ermm, Ginny? Are you okay?" The question was stupid, he knew. Ginny, in between waves of tears, managed to glare in his direction. He crossed the room, sat down next to her and pulled her towards him. This seemed to be the right thing to do as Ginny buried her face into his neck. "What's wrong?" he murmured, squeezing her shoulder.

"I heard about Hermione and no one would tell me anything and no one has been in all day and then I had a really bad pain and I got scared and I couldn't find the writing stuff to send you a letter and... and..." Ginny dissolved into sobs again. Harry tried to process all this information while remaining comforting.

"How did you hear about Hermione?"

Ginny sniffed. "Percy sent me a letter. They all know she's pregnant now and they're all worried. I got one off mum but no one came to tell me what was happening."

Harry kissed the top of her head. "Hermione's fine and the healers say that the baby is good too but they're doing more tests tomorrow. What was this pain you were talking about?"

"Just a bad cramp." Ginny pulled away slightly and wiped her face on the back of her hand. "I'm just being silly." She gave a small laugh. "I think I should go to bed."

Harry stood up and pulled her to her feet. "I'll come too. It's been a long day."

Hermione looked around her at the dark ward. Ron was slumped in a chair by her bed, his mouth open. She felt so frustrated with herself. There was nothing wrong with her really, everyone was making a fuss for no reason at all. She struggled up into a sitting position and placed a hand upon her stomach. Fear swept over Hermione along with feelings of guilt. Trying to distract herself, she got out of bed for a wander. There were the sound of hurried footsteps in the corridor and muffled voices. There was a loud cry of pain. "Harry!"

Hermione hurried to the ward door and wrenched it open in time to see Ginny being wheeled around a corner on a trolley by a group of Healers, Harry running alongside her. Hermione ran back to Ron and shook him awake.

"Wha- What's happening? Hermione! Are you okay?" He started to life and half lifted himself out of the chair.

"Ron, Ginny's gone into labour!"

A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates, summer has been very busy. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. Hope you all enjoy.


	7. Saying Hello

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it is all J.K. Rowling's

"Sush, Teddy. You don't want to wake him up." Harry whispered to his godson, who he was holding over the cot. Teddy just stared down at the tiny baby, who shifted slightly.

"He's got hair like you, Harry." Teddy said quietly. Teddy was right, little tufts of black hair stuck up on baby James' head – Harry was amused to see that it was already messy.

"Harry, dear, shall I take Teddy from you now?" Andromeda said, smiling kindly at the boy who was almost like a son.

"Thanks." Harry set Teddy down on the ground and gave him a small push towards his Grandma.

"Come on, Teddy. Let's go and tell the others that it's their turn to see baby James." Taking Teddy's hand, Andromeda led the way out of the ward. Harry watched them go fondly. He and Ginny had decided long ago that Teddy would be the first to see the baby. Harry was particularly anxious that Teddy shouldn't feel that he was being replaced. As the door swung shut, he turned to his wife.

"Ginny. Ginny, you're mum and dad are coming in soon." Harry shook his wife gently awake. She blinked and smiled sleepily up at him. "I had this beautiful dream that we were parents to a little baby boy." Ginny stretched and yawned. Harry laughed slightly and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sorry, that's not a dream. Do you want to get him out of the cot?"

"If you can pick him up without waking him Harry then yes." Ginny said. She yawned again but propped herself up in bed. Harry ever so carefully lifted up his son and carried him over to Ginny. As he lowered James into her arms, the little boy woke up and looked at them both with large, dark brown eyes. Just then, the ward door opened and the Weasley clan entered. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hurried straight over to their daughter while everyone else went to shake Harry's hand and hug him in congratulations.

"Where are Bill and Fleur?" Ginny asked, after saying hello to everyone.

"They'll be here later, they didn't want to disturb Dominique. She's been sleeping badly recently." Mr. Weasley told them.

"We were asked to check that it's okay for them to bring the girls and Louis. Is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked, tearing her eyes away from her fifth grandchild to look at Harry.

"Of course." Harry replied smiling, he looked down at the small girl attached to Percy's hand. "As long as they are as well behaved as Molly." The little girl giggled and moved behind her father's leg shyly.

Within an hour, James was being passed from Uncle to Aunt to Grandparent, each cooing over how sweet he was and exclaiming over his hair. Ron was the last of the Uncles to hold him. "He's so tiny." He whispered to no one in particular, holding James as if was made of delicate china. Hermione smiled down at her nephew, eyes shining with tears, hand on her stomach. Mrs. Weasley noticed the hand and, for a moment, feared the worst. She held her tongue however and contented herself with keeping a close eye on her daughter-in-law. Just then, a Healer entered, looking slightly harassed. "Excuse me, is a Mrs. Weasley in here?"

There was a laugh from the group, causing the Healer to scowl. "You might want to be a little bit more specific." George said with a wicked grin.

"Mrs. Hermione Weasley, please?" said the Healer, glaring at George. "She's meant to be having an examination."

Hermione went white and stood up slowly. Harry quickly took James from Ron, who stood up with her. "We'll see you all later." Ron said, trying to keep the tremor from his voice. They watched the couple leave in silence. It was broken by the small, impatient voice of four year old. "Can I hold baby yet?" Audrey and Percy tried to shush her, while Harry and Ginny shared worried looks. Trusting Ron to hold their baby was one thing, but a four year old?

"Sorry, Molly, but James is a little bit to small for you to hold. You need big hands like Daddy's or Mummy's." Ginny said gently. Molly's face screwed up and a tantrum looked likely before a distraction came in the form of a small boy running into the room, shouting loudly.

"Uncy George! Uncy George!" Louis flung himself at his favourite Uncle's legs. Bill came hurrying in after him. "Louis! What did I tell you about shouting?" He said sharply, as James began to cry loudly at the sudden noise. Harry turned James away from the noise and passed him over to Ginny who was looking anxiously at her son. Fleur entered the room, looking haughtily annoyed, with Victoire and Dominique holding a hand each. Dominique stood out of the three, her dark red hair contrasting with the silvery blonde of her mother and sister.

"Harry, Ginny, I'm so sorry," said Bill. "We told him before to be quiet but he's a little bit like 'Uncy George' here." Bill finished with an exasperated sigh while George tried to hide a smile. Ginny was still trying to stop James crying, being aided by Mrs. Weasley who was pulling variations of rattles from her bag. It took about twenty minutes to rock James back to sleep, at which point, Harry decided that his little boy should be placed back in his cot and left undisturbed. The family stayed for a little while longer but, when Louis, Molly and Dominique began making loud noises again (aided by George) Bill made an executive decision to leave. Fleur gave Ginny a quick, heartfelt, hug and promised to pass on some of Louis' baby toys.

"Au voir 'Arry, it 'as been a pleasure to see you and your leetle boy. Come along Victoire, Dominique." The girls ran around saying their goodbyes (au voir in Dominique's case) to their Uncles and Aunts and whispering it to their newest cousin. Bill, having picked up Louis to prevent him causing more trouble, said a general goodbye to everyone, only hugging his little sister. Percy and Audrey left with Molly soon after and before long just the Potters remained. Harry lay down on the bed next to Ginny, putting his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling under his chin, before drifting off to sleep. They were perfectly comfortable but here, resting so peacefully, Harry's thoughts couldn't help but turn to Ron and Hermione. He hoped that they were as contented.

Ron and Hermione were very content. The Healer's examination had revealed that the baby was perfectly healthy. Hermione was told that she had to relax properly as she was now at greater risk to exhaustion. She was given a list of foods that she should eat and things to relax with which she took grudgingly. Having already seen James twice (nothing could have kept them away, even at half three in the morning) they decided not to crowd the new family of Potters and headed home instead. Ron was anxious for Hermione to go to bed once they got in but she refused point blank. Ron gave in and instead started making dinner for them, using one of the recipes the Healer had given them. Ron had learnt to cook after moving into a flat with Harry and Neville in their first year working for the Auror department. It had taken two months of takeaways and ready meals before the three (who had been mocked ferociously by friends and family) knuckled down and learnt how to cook. Ron was surprised by how easy he'd found it and soon, he did most of it. Hermione had been very pleased to discover that the pair of them wouldn't be dependant on her cooking, as she detested it.

"Ron, have we got any pickled onions?" Hermione called through from the dining room.

"Yeah, why? Do you want them in the salad?" Ron said, checking the fridge and hoping they really did have pickle onions.

"No. Can you just bring me the jar? I'm feeling a bit peckish."

Utterly confused by this, Ron grabbed the jar containing the few remaining pickled onions and took it through to her. "How could you want to eat just plain pickled onions?"

Hermione was sat at the table reading through some papers. Ron was about to object when he saw S.P.E.W on the heading. He closed his mouth and just handed over the jar. Hermione fished a couple out and popped them in our mouth. Ron stared, and then turned back to the kitchen shaking his head. Twenty minutes later, his carefully prepared dinner was going cold while he held Hermione's hair back from her face. Biting his tongue to prevent himself saying it was the pickled onions.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviews. I know it's quite short and fluffy but hopefully you all like it. Let me know either way please, I do love reviews :)


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